Harry Potter and the Rise To Power
by Jealous Rage
Summary: Post-GOF. As Harry enters his fifth year at Hogwarts, he must deal with a multitude of problems, one of which happens to be a recently resurrected Dark Lord who is out for his blood and who won't stop until Harry is nothing but a memory.
1. Chapter 01

**Chapter 01**

* * *

It was with a huge yawn and great reluctance that Harry Potter opened his eyes to the dreary sight that he knew awaited him. While he had long ago accepted that it was necessary for him to stay at the Dursley's residence in Privet Drive for at least part of the summer, it was still an unwelcome reality. The somewhat cluttered room in which he currently rested was a stark reminder of that.

With a sigh, Harry sat up and threw his blankets off. He stretched and yawned again before turning his head to look at the repaired alarm clock that sat on the small table beside his bed. It was quarter to six.

"Right on time," he said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and rose to his feet. Grabbing his running shorts from where he had left them the previous day, Harry quickly donned them and made for the door. As he made his down the stairs and headed towards the front door, he made sure to be as quiet as he could. The last thing he wanted to do was rouse any of the Dursleys from their slumber.

_Fat chance of that_, thought Harry as he exited the house and breathed in a deep breath of the clear morning air. _They all sleep like the dead, and with Vernon and Dudley's snoring, I could probably fire off a gun without waking them up_. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Shaking his head to clear it of the thought of his relatives, Harry set off out of the driveway at an easy pace and headed down the street. It had become a regular morning routine for him, jogging, ever since he had returned from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the end of his fourth year. With the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, an event he had been unfortunate enough to play a major role in, Harry knew soon the attacks that had marked Voldemort's rise to power during the last war world start up again. Being trapped with his muggle relatives, unable to practice his magic, Harry did the only things he could do to prepare. He began to workout, building up both his strength and stamina.

Harry was helped along in his endeavour by the timely arrival of what could loosely be termed a growth spurt, although it was nothing like any growth spurt he'd ever heard of before. In the time since he had arrived Privet Drive for the summer, a little more than a month, Harry had grown over half a foot in height. On top of that, his once scrawny and thin body had filled out considerably. He would never be as big as Crabbe or Goyle, but he now had enough of a physical presence to make any normal person at least hesitate before trying to push him around.

His new size had already come in handy in dealing with his bully of a cousin, Dudley. Harry thought back to what had happened with a grin on his face as his feet rhythmically pounded the pavement.

Two days before, Harry had been sitting outside of the house, enjoying the sun and looking through a book on defensive spells that one of his best friends, Hermione Granger, had sent to him upon his request. He was interested in some of the spells the book described and had been really getting into it when a large shadow suddenly fell across his seated form. He looked up, only to see his fat cousin grinning down at him menacingly.

"Dad said no taking your freak books out of your room, freak," Dudley stated.

With a pronounced sigh, Harry had closed the book and risen to his feet. With his new height, he dwarfed Dudley by several inches, a fact that the bully only seemed to realise once Harry was staring down at him. Harry hadn't said a word, choosing instead to just turn and walk towards the house.

Unfortunately, Dudley hadn't been able to resist the temptation to antagonize his cousin. "Don't turn your back on me, freak."

With another sigh, louder this time, Harry had turned to face his cousin with a long-suffering look on his face. "Just leave me alone, Dud. I really don't feel like getting into it with you today."

He had tried to keep his tone light, but Dudley wasn't having any of it. He had moved towards Harry until he was once again face to face with him. Then, with his mouth twisted up into an unpleasant smirk, he'd reached out and given Harry a violent shove. With the knowledge that his cousin couldn't do magic during the summer without facing immediate expulsion from school, Dudley was confident in his ability to impose his will on Harry.

Unfortunately for Dudley, Harry's sudden growth spurt put a small kink in his plans. In the past, a slight shove from Dudley would have sent Harry's much smaller form reeling. With his recently acquired bulk, Harry had merely taken a step back to collect himself, then came forward and gave his cousin a return shove. That caught Dudley off-guard. The surprise of the move, coupled with the fact that Dudley's short legs and fat body made him top heavy resulted in Dudley ending up flat on his ass on the ground.

Harry had glared down at his cousin for a moment."I told you to back off. I've had it with you pushing me around and I'm not going to take it anymore. From now on, just mind your own business and we won't have any problems." With that, Harry had whirled around and stalked off, book in hand.

Dudley remained on the ground where he had fallen, shocked by his cousin's uncharacteristic outburst. He'd decided, after a moment's consideration, that perhaps it was time to find a new punching bag, one who didn't hit back quite so hard.

Now, as the birds sang in the trees and the light from the newly-risen sun shone down on him, Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud. The look on his cousin's face when he had left him sitting on the ground on his fat ass had been priceless. Harry wasn't sure what had come over him, blowing up at Dudley like that. All he knew was that for the first time in his life, he was strong enough to take care of some of his problems for himself, and that was a good feeling.

Of course, Harry knew that not all problems could be taken care of as easily as Dudley had been. No amount of growth spurts or working out would be enough to alleviate the major pain in his life, the one that called itself Voldemort. But until he was able to talk to Professor Dumbledore or somebody else in a position of power, there was nothing else he could do.

All throughout the summer, Harry had been in contact, through the use of his snowy owl Hedwig, with many people who may have had useful information for him. Unfortunately, owl post could be intercepted, so it was not a good idea to send anything too important by that method. Harry knew this and he accepted it. It annoyed him greatly that he wasn't able to learn anything truly useful, but he understood the potential dangers.

Both Hermione Granger and his other best friend Ron Weasley had written to him several times, but their letters were mostly filled with pleasantries and inquiries about his well-being. That was all well and good, but it didn't really help him in any way, beyond reaffirming that his friends still cared about him. It had taken him three letters to Hermione before she had even consented to send him the spell books he'd requested; she thought he was being a little too paranoid. After all, it wasn't like Voldemort could get to Harry while he was staying at Privet Drive, right?

Harry had also been corresponding with his long-imprisoned godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius had been on the run since he escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban during the summer before Harry's third year at Hogwarts. Now, with the rise of Voldemort, Sirius' letters hinted that the illegal animagus had taken up a more permanent position in an effort to aide Dumbledore. Harry was happy that his godfather was finally getting a chance show his worth.

As people started leaving their houses to head to work, Harry's run finally came to an end. He slowed to a brisk walk as he entered the Dursley's driveway and briefly checked his watch. Half past six.

_Not bad_, he thought. _Two minutes faster than yesterday_.

Quietly, he let himself back inside and crept up the stairs towards the bathroom. He knew it would still be at least half an hour before any of the Dursley's got out of bed, so he decided to grab a quick shower. He grabbed some clean clothes from his room and made his way into the upstairs bathroom. Working quickly, Harry washed his hair and face and rinsed off the sweat he'd accumulated during his morning run. He never liked to spend too much time in the shower, lest Vernon or Petunia voice their concerns about him wasting hot water.

As he stepped out of the shower, Harry caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror and paused to look at his reflection. For the first time he could remember, Harry was please by what he saw in the mirror. His recent growth, coupled with the vigorous series of push-ups and sit-ups he did every day had combined to give him a physique that he could be proud of. While he was not buff or ripped by any means, he at least had some muscle tone and the beginnings of what might one day be termed a six-pack.

His eyes turned to his face. It had also filled out some, which completely eliminated the somewhat pinched look he used to have. His black hair was still messy and untamable, but he had trimmed the sides and back as well as he could and was pleased with the results. Perhaps most pleasing to him was the change his recent outings had wrought on his complexion. No longer pale, he had an admirable tan that served the purpose of rendering his scar nearly invisible. A person would have to be right in front of him to even make it out now.

With a final small smile, Harry cut short his self-inspection. The last thing he wanted was for one of the Dursley's to find him in the bathroom, naked and admiring himself in the mirror. Donning his jeans and t-shirt, he made for his room, quietly closing the door behind him.

As soon as Harry entered his room, he realised he wasn't alone. Fluttering crazily around the room, with a small note tied to its leg, was Ron's tiny owl, Pig. Hedwig was eyeing the much smaller owl with distaste from her cage in the corner of the room. Smiling, Harry managed to snag the excitable little bird out of the air and quickly removed the paper from its ankle. He let go of the owl and it immediately took off out of the open window, undoubtedly heading back to the Burrow to annoy the Weasleys.

Shaking his head, Harry sat on the end of his bed and opened the folded parchment. On it, a short note had been scribbled in Ron's messy and sometimes difficult to read script.

_Good news, mate!_

_Dumbledore's gonna be sending some people to come and collect you from the muggles later today. They'll be there at noon, so have your stuff packed and waiting. Hermione's already here._

_See ya soon,_

_Ron_

Upon finishing the note, Harry felt the elation well up from inside of him. Turning towards Hedwig, who had been watching him silently from her perch, he grinned excitedly. "We're leaving today, girl. No more Dursleys for another year." The owl fluttered its wings and clicked, apparently just as excited about the new development.

Getting up off the bed, Harry let out a joyful laugh before walking over and opening the cage door. "Go on, girl. Why don't you go to the Weasley's? I'll be along later ." Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately before taking flight and soaring out of the open window. Harry watched her with a smile on his face until she disappeared from sight. Turning back to his room, he rubbed his hands together, and then began to pack.

Hours later, Harry was once again sitting on the Dursley's front lawn. This time he had no book with him. He'd finished packing quickly and decided to flee the house before anybody saw fit to give him any chores to do. Now, with only fifteen minutes remaining until noon, he was impatiently waiting for his way out to arrive.

As he waited, Harry ran through a list in his head of who might be coming to collect him. Ron had said 'some people', which could mean anyone. The fact that he hadn't said any specific names led Harry to believe that maybe his friend didn't know either. Of course, Ron could have been intentionally vague just in case the letter got intercepted. With Voldemort back up and ready to wreak havoc on the world, it was better to be safe than sorry.

_Oh well_, Harry thought, _guess I'll just have to wait and see_. He swept his gaze down the street, wondering if perhaps they would be coming by car. It was unlikely, but you never knew with magical people. Their methods seemed to change each time they came for him.

At that moment, Harry's musings were abruptly cut short. His eyes widened in shock when he looked up and saw several people in long black robes appear suddenly right at the end of the driveway. He immediately recognised the robes and masks of the Death Eaters.

Jumping to his feet, Harry drew his wand from his pocket and pointed it at the Death Eaters, all of whom were staring silently at him from the road.

After a moment, one stepped forward and spoke. "Ah, Potter. Just the boy we were looking for." Harry recognised that hated voice. Lucius Malfoy. "I'm afraid we're here to kill you, Potter. It's nothing personal, you understand. Our Lord merely wants you permanently out of the way. He would have come himself but he has much more important matters to attend to." Harry could almost feel the smirk that must have been on Malfoy's face.

Faced with a situation that spelled almost certain death for him, Harry knew he only had one real option: try to stay alive until whoever was coming for him arrived. Without pausing to think, he pointed his wand at Malfoy and shouted the first spell that came to mind. It was one he had read about during the summer, so he had yet to actually attempt it himself. The effects were impressive, to say the least.

"_Constrictus_!" he yelled, trying to put as much force behind the spell as he possibly could.

Not expecting an attack made Malfoy an easy target. His eyes widened when he saw the bright yellow spell heading for him, moving much too quickly for him to try and move out of the way or erect a shield. The spell collided heavily with his torso, drawing a loud 'oomph' from his throat as all the air was forced from his lungs by. Immediately his robes began to tighten around his body. The spell was one that could be used to tighten ropes, making sure that they would not loosen. When employed upon people's clothing, things quickly became unbearably tight.

As Malfoy struggled with his suddenly too tight robes, the rest of the Death Eaters moved forward to subdue Harry. Fortunately for him, he had immediately moved upon casting his spell. Several curses hit the spot he had just vacated, but nothing came near him.

Realising more firepower was called for, Harry began to use more dangerous curses as he ducked and dodged the spells being cast at him. "Reducto! Incendio! Stupefy! Impedimenta!" Although most of his spells were easily blocked by the more experienced Death Eaters, Harry was grimly elated when his Impediment Jinx managed to slip through and caused one of his attackers to abruptly cease moving. But his elation quickly evaporated when Malfoy finally managed to free himself and joined in the attack.

"Protego," Harry shouted, praying that his shield would hold against the barrage he was facing. Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered.

Several unfamiliar dark curses were sent his way from the wand of Lucius Malfoy. The first few splashed harmlessly against Harry's shield, but the final one tore through the shield like it was made of paper. Both Harry and Malfoy knew that Harry wouldn't be able to call up another shield in time to save himself.

Harry took a deep breath, ready for the curse that would end his young life. But that curse never came.

"Stupefy!" a new voice shouted.

Before Harry's relieved eyes, more people suddenly arrived on the scene. The newcomers immediately began to trade spells with the Death Eaters. Before he could be hit by a curse, Malfoy apparated away, leaving the rest of the Death Eaters to deal with the sudden danger.

Harry grinned as he watch Remus Lupin stun one of the dark robed figures, just as Mad-eye Moody hurled a blasting curse at another. Although the newcomers were outnumbered about two to one by the Death Eaters, it was clear to Harry which side had the upper hand in the battle. A young, pink-haired witch had engaged two of the dark wizards and was more than holding her own against both of them, while a tall black wizard was also duelling effortlessly against multiple opponents.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Lucius Malfoy returned, and he brought reinforcements with him. A dozen more Death Eaters entered the fray and suddenly Harry began to seriously question his earlier prediction.

"Is this the best Dumbledore's precious Order has to offer?" asked Malfoy in a contemptuous tone as he sent a Severing hex at Arthur Weasley. The Weasley patriarch blocked it and fired a Stunner back at Malfoy. He appeared to be about to respond to the comment, when the last of the good guys suddenly drew Harry's attention.

The unfamiliar man was exceptionally tall and the only one there, besides Harry, who was clad in muggle clothing rather than robes. But neither of those things were what drew Harry's gaze. What had caught his attention was the fact that the man had just cast the killing curse. "Avada Kedavra." The Death Eater beside Malfoy dropped to the ground, dead, while both Malfoy and Harry stared at the caster in shock. Never before had Harry heard of one of the good guys using such a spell. Apparently neither had Malfoy. He immediately apparated away, undoubtedly running back to his master to report what he had just witnessed.

While that exchange was happening, the battle continued to rage. As Harry looked on, the large man fired a different curse at another Death Eater, who immediately began to scream in agony. He fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from his torso. Before the big guy could choose another target, the remaining Death Eaters decided that enough was enough and apparated away.

As soon as they were gone, Lupin ran over to Harry, worry evident in his eyes. "Harry, are you all right?" he asked, worry colouring his tone.

Harry, whose eyes had been focused on the newcomer and his use of dark curses, turned his gaze to Lupin and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. But the wards? How did they—?"

Lupin cut him off there with a raised hand. "No time for explanations right now. Dumbledore will tell you everything later. Right now Arthur is going to take you to headquarters. We'll bring your stuff with us when we're done here." He looked around. "Where are your things?"

"My room, but—"

Once again, he was cut off. "No time, Harry. Arthur, if you would..."

Mr. Weasley nodded and moved towards them. Smiling widely at Harry, he held out his arm. "Grab my arm, Harry. I'm going to side-along apparate you to headquarters. It might make you feel a little sick to your stomach, but that should pass quickly. All right?"

Harry nodded, indicating and grasped onto Arthur's arm. One last thought popped into his head before they disappeared. _Where the hell is headquarters_?


	2. Beautiful and Strange

**Beautiful and Strange**

* * *

As soon as Arthur and Harry came to a stop, Harry released the older man's arm and stumbled away from him, holding his stomach. Arthur was immediately at Harry's side, patting his back in a comforting manner. "Sorry about that, Harry," he said apologetically. "Apparition can be really hard on a person when they aren't used to it. The sick feeling shouldn't last long though." Harry nodded, still trying to bring his breathing under control.

After a moment, Harry's stomach finally started to settle. He straightened up and smiled wanly at Mr. Weasley. "I think I'm okay now, sir." Arthur returned the smile and nodded.

Now that he was feeling better, Harry took the opportunity to look around at the area they had apparated to. They were standing at what appeared to be the rather abrupt end of a narrow dirt road. All around them were rows and rows of nothing but trees, stretching for miles in every direction. As far as Harry could tell, they were just about as far from civilization as one could be.

He turned a questioning gaze on Mr. Weasley, who held up a single finger and reached into his pocket. From said pocket he withdrew a small piece of paper, folded in half. He handed it to Harry and motioned for the teenager to read it. Flipping it open, Harry glanced down at the narrow loopy writing with interest.

_Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix are located at 73 Duncan Lane._

Confused by what the note said, Harry looked up at Mr. Weasley with a questioning glance. The man responded by tapping his head and smiling. "Think about what you just read, Harry," he said.

Returning his eyes to the paper, Harry re-read the single sentence, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to be doing. As soon as he got to the last word for a second time, however, his jaw dropped at what suddenly began happening in front of him.

Right before Harry's eyes, the trees that had populated the area in front of him started parting. To the left went one group and to the right went the rest, like they were on giant conveyer belts. As the trees continued to move farther apart, a large brick wall seemed to shimmer into existence in the gap that was left behind. The wall continued to grow for quite a while, until it stood several times taller than Harry.

For a moment, Harry could do nothing but stand there, frozen, unable to rationalize what he had just seen. Noticing Harry's predicament, Arthur chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "This property is under the Fidelius charm," he explained.

Harry's eyes widened at that and he nodded. _Of course_, he thought, _Dumbledore would do everything he could to make sure headquarters were protected from Voldemort_.

"Come along, Harry," Arthur prompted a second later, "they'll be waiting for us up at the house." Harry allowed himself to be led along by the older wizard, right up to the tall wrought-iron gates that had appeared directly in front of where they had been standing. As far as Harry could tell, the gates were the only opening in the wall.

When they reached the gates, Arthur paused, causing Harry to do the same. He began to dig through his pockets once again while muttering quietly to himself, "Now where did I put that blasted key? I know it's here somewhere."

While Mr. Weasley searched for his key, Harry took the chance to get a look at what lay on the other side of the gate. Through the large gaps between the iron bars, he could see the narrow dirt road continued on for quite a ways, leading up to a large, sprawling house. Well, perhaps house was an inadequate way to describe the mansion that was on the other side of the red brick wall. It was huge, looked to be made of brick, and was quite obviously the home of someone who was quite wealthy. A grand, regal-looking staircase led up to the front door from the driveway, a driveway that looked to end in a muggle garage, for cars. That confused Harry. _Who do I know that would have need of a car garage? _he thought.

Before Harry could voice his questions to Mr. Weasley, however, the elder wizard let out a triumphant laugh and pulled his hand from his pocket. Within it was clasped a large key, one that was the exact same silvery colour as the gate. Without further ado, he pushed the key into the keyhole, which Harry hadn't noticed up until that point, and twisted it sharply to the right. There was a loud click and then the gate swung silently inward.

Mr. Weasley indicated for Harry to proceed, and then followed him through the gate. Once they were through, he pulled the key from the keyhole and then pushed the gates closed. A loud click rang out, signalling the gates had been properly shut and were locked once again.

Smiling widely, Mr. Weasley turned back to Harry and motioned for him to start walking towards the mansion. "Well, that was exciting!" the older wizard said. "I haven't used this entrance before. Quite ingenious really, having a built-in silencing charm on the hinges. It keeps them from screeching as they open and close, you see." Harry nodded silently, amused by the excitement that was clearly evident on Mr. Weasley's face.

When the silence remained for several moments, Harry took the opportunity to ask the questions he hadn't been able to earlier. "Mr. Weasley," he began, "where exactly are we?" Unfortunately for Harry, that was one question that was apparently going to remain unanswered for now.

Arthur merely smiled mysteriously and shrugged. "You'll see, Harry, you'll see."

Sighing, Harry pressed on with his other questions. "What is the Order of the Phoenix, sir?"

Again, Arthur waved away his question. "You'll find out soon enough. Now come along. Don't you want to see Ron and Hermione again?"

At the mention of his friends, Harry's mind was pulled away from his questions and he looked up eagerly at the mansion. "Are they here then?" Arthur nodded, bringing a wide smile to Harry's face. He unconsciously quickened his pace, knowing that he was only moments away from seeing his friends again for the first time in over a month.

Rapidly, the two drew closer to their destination, each step bringing them closer. Finally, they found themselves standing at the foot of the staircase that Harry had spotted from the gate. Up close, the mansion looked even more impressive. The red brick exterior was covered with ivy, which grew all the way up the wall to the roof. Several large windows, miraculously free of the vines, looked outward and undoubtedly provided a spectacular view of the sweeping grounds.

After a moment, during which he continued to stare up at the huge house in awe, Harry realized that Mr. Weasley was no longer behind him. Turning, he saw that the older wizard was walking over toward the garage. Before he could speak up, however, Arthur turned back to him and motioned towards the staircase. "You go on inside, Harry. I'm going to look over the cars. I have the owner's permission to study them, but I haven't had a chance to yet. Go on." Harry nodded his understanding, already well aware of Mr. Weasley's fascination with all things muggle. He recalled his second year adventure with the Weasley's charmed Ford Anglia, an adventure that had ended with him and Ron crashing the car into the Whomping Willow while attempting to fly it to Hogwarts.

Shaking his head lightly, Harry turned back and started up the stairs. It really was a very large staircase, rising about halfway up the side of the house. At the top, there was a wide wooden door with an intricately detailed golden lion for a knocker. He paused for a moment when he reached the door. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the knocker, unsure of who would be on the other side of the door.

Before Harry even had a chance to lift the knocker, however, the door swung open to reveal the worried face of Sirius Black. As soon as he saw his godson standing there, a wide smile came over the face of the man and he quickly pulled Harry through the doorway and into a tight hug. He laughed loudly when he pulled back and noticed the surprise showing on his godson's face. "Sorry about that, Harry," he said, his voice full of joy, "but it's really good to see you. When Dumbledore said that Privet Drive had come under attack, we weren't sure that the Order was going to get there in time. I would have come myself, but Dumbledore thought it best that I remain here, just in case anyone from the Ministry was to happen by." His change in tone made it clear exactly how he felt about Dumbledore's concern.

Harry couldn't keep the smile off of his face either. He had missed his godfather, of course, but he hadn't realized just how much until he had come face to face with him. A part of him couldn't help but notice that he now stood taller than Sirius, even though he chose to not divulge that sudden realization to his still grinning godfather.

"So, how are you doing Harry? Did the Dursley's treat you alright?" Sirius asked, concern invading his voice.

Harry nodded, taking the time to look around before he answered. The two were standing in a mid-size room that was obviously a coat-room. There were hooks on all of the walls, and little nooks to store shoes in. An open doorway across the room appeared to open up into a hallway. "Yeah, they were fine. I think just the thought of you, my convicted killer godfather, kept them from getting out of hand. Although Dudley seems to think I'm not such a pushover anymore as well."

Sirius grinned at that. "Yes, I imagine he would think that. Gone through a bit of a growth spurt, have you?"

"I guess." Harry didn't really feel like talking about it, as he could offer no explanation, and Sirius seemed to sense that. Grinning widely, the older man threw an arm around Harry's shoulders and started to lead him into the hallway.

"Come on then, Harry," he said, "Ron and Hermione are here and they've been waiting to see you. Both of them were planning to go with the Order to collect you, but Voldemort's Death Eaters put a bit of a damper on those plans."

Harry nodded, not really listening, as he was busy looking at the walls of the hallway as they walked along. Many pictures were hung on both sides of the hall, similar to Hogwarts. Most of them were landscapes, however, rather than the moving portraits that adorned the walls of the school. This struck Harry as rather odd. So many of the things he had seen so far at the house seemed more muggle than wizard in nature. In fact, if it weren't for the Fidelius Charm on the property and the silencing charm on the gates, he probably would have guessed that a muggle lived here.

Before Harry could start questioning his godfather about exactly whose house they were currently in, he heard a loud squeal and found himself suddenly having a slight breathing problem. This was no doubt due to the two arms that were wrapped tightly around his midsection. He awkwardly wrapped his own arms loosely around the girl who had attached herself to him and waited for her to pull away.

She did so momentarily, with a mixture of worry and relief evident in her eyes. "Thank god you're okay Harry. When we heard that Privet Drive was under attack we were so worried." She stepped back and ran a hand through her bushy brown hair as a familiar tall form appeared in the doorway behind her.

Ron quickly made its way over to them, a huge smile dominating his face. Harry greeted his other best friend with a firm hand-shake and a wide grin. "Hey mate! It's good to see you!"

Harry nodded, the grin still splitting his face open."Yeah. It's good to see you two as well."

The three friends looked at each other in silence for a moment, just taking in the moment, and Sirius took the opportunity to speak up. "All right then. I'll leave you three to get all caught up. Why don't you two show Harry to his room?" Ron nodded as Sirius slipped past them and into the room the two teenagers had just exited. He closed the door behind him and the noise it made seemed to put a start into all three of them.

"You've grown quite a lot this summer, Harry," Hermione noted suddenly, drawing a vigorous nod from Ron.

Slightly embarrassed by his friend's statement, Harry rubbed the back of his neck and gave a little shrug. "I guess I had a bit of a growth spurt."

This drew a loud snort from Ron. "A bit, mate? Bloody hell, I think you're taller than me now!" And it was true. From Harry's position, it appeared that he had eclipsed his friend in height by about an inch. Harry felt inexplicably proud of that fact, even though he hadn't actually done anything at all to make it happen.

After another moment, during which nobody said anything, Hermione decided that they should be doing something productive. "Come along then," she said, "we'll show you to your room. It's just this way." Turning, she led the two boys back down the hallway, towards the door that Sirius had disappeared through. When she reached it, however, she turned right and entered a different doorway, one that Harry had not noticed before. This doorway opened up into a very large and opulent room. It looked rather grand, filled with small tables with fancy fabrics covering them, and a giant chandelier hanging in the exact center of the ceiling. One of the large windows he had spotted from the exterior of the house was located in this room, and as a result, the room was brightly lit by the sunlight streaming in from outside.

On the other side of the room was another staircase and Hermione quickly led them up it. They walked in silence, but both Ron and Hermione knew that Harry was going to have some questions for them to once they reached their destination. At the top of the staircase was another long hallway, one with many doors along both sides. Hermione led them down the hallway until they had passed three doors. When they reached the fourth set of doors, she came to a halt and indicated the one on the right side of the hallway. "This is your room, Harry," she said. "Ron's room is right next to yours." She paused and motioned back to the third set of doors. "And mine is right across the hallway from his."

Harry nodded and reached for the doorknob. He didn't notice as Hermione and Ron exchanged a smirk behind his back. When the door swung open, Harry was surprised by what he saw, to say the least. The room was beautiful, decorated in varying shades of red and brown. A large bed was the centerpiece of the room; it was covered in large fluffy pillows and what looked like silk sheets. There were two small tables, one on either side of the bed, a wardrobe, and a fully stocked bookshelf. Every piece of furniture had been polished until it shone, reflecting the light that entered the room from the rather large window on the opposite wall. A doorway in the wall opposite to the bed appeared to lead into a private bathroom. A large light fixture hung down from the roof, and would obviously light the room more than sufficiently once night fell.

His eyes wide, Harry turned back to his friends, both of whom were grinning widely at him. "It's a bit...extravagant, isn't it?" he said after a moment.

Immediately Ron let out aloud guffaw. "Of course, mate. Would you expect anything less from Dumbledore?"

Harry's eyes widened even further at that. "This is Dumbledore's house?"

Ron nodded, still grinning. "Yeah," he replied. "It's pretty insane here. All of the rooms are so fancy, and they're all different from each other. And there's so much muggle stuff here. I guess Dumbledore is just as crazy as dad when it comes to that stuff."

Hermione clucked her tongue disapprovingly at Ron last words. "Ronald Weasley, your father is not crazy, and neither is Professor Dumbledore." She admonished him so thoroughly that Harry was surprised that she wasn't wagging her finger in his face, like a child.

Ron, however, merely shrugged and looked to Harry for support. "Harry's with me on this, aren't you mate?"

Hermione turned towards Harry with a glare on his face, almost daring him to agree with his friend. Harry could do nothing but shrug. "Sorry, Hermione, but I'm going to have to side with Ron on this one. Dumbledore is mental. Look at some of the stuff he says."

Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to defend her position. Before she could say a word, though, Ron interrupted her. "It's two against one, Hermione; just drop it." Turning, he clapped Harry on the back and gestured grandly towards the room. "Shall we take a closer look?" Chuckling, Harry nodded and the two boys entered the room, their still-grumbling friend trailing along behind them.

Upon entering the room, Harry immediately went over to the huge bed and collapsed on it. His friends watched him with amusement on their faces. "I think I love this bed," he declared after a moment. "It's so much more comfortable than the bed I sleep in back at the Dursleys' house." Neither Ron nor Hermione knew what to say to that, both unwilling to comment on the Dursleys. They were well aware of how Harry was treated when he returned there after every school year, and neither was very pleased about it.

"So," Harry said a moment later, pulling himself into a sitting position, "why are you guys at Dumbledore's house? And what exactly is the Order of the Phoenix?"

Hermione had anticipated what Harry's first question would be, so she quickly provided an answer."Well, we only arrived here two days ago. Dumbledore uses his own house as the headquarters for the Order, so it is unquestionably the most secure building in all of Europe. He had us brought here because he wanted you here and he knew that you would want your friends around. As for your second question..." Hermione trailed off, almost as if she was unsure of exactly how to answer.

Ron, however, had no such problem. "The Order is the group Dumbledore founded to fight You-Know-Who during the first war. As soon as you said he was back, Dumbledore reformed the Order. They've been working all summer, planning and preparing. It's been right crazy." Ron paused and shook his head. "So many people were in and out of the Burrow this summer; even Bill and Charlie came back."

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised by that. "I thought they both worked in other countries."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, Bill was in Egypt and Charlie was in Romania. But they're both out of school, and they wanted to help, so they came back and joined the Order. Bill got a desk job at Gringotts and Charlie's been officially hired by Dumbledore to be an aide to Hagrid, to help him with all of those monsters he makes us learn about in Care of Magical Creatures."

Harry indicated his understanding, before some of what Ron had said rang in his head. "Wait a minute. You said something about them being out of school. Does that mean you can only join the Order once you've graduated?"

Ron nodded sadly in response. "Yeah, you've got be legally an adult. I've been trying to convince mum and dad all summer to let me join, but they won't even give me a shot. Mum won't even let me finish asking anymore. She just glares at me and stomps off."

Ron appeared quite vexed by his lack of success so far, but Hermione was a different case. "Well," she began, looking slightly frustrated, but accepting at the same time, "I can see their point." At Ron's disbelieving look, she elaborated. "You can hardly expect us, as fifth years, to be able to compete with the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. They're just trying to keep us safe."

"Are you insane?" Ron said, sounding indignant. "Look at the shit we've had to deal with over the last four years. We deserve to be kept in the know on this." He shook his head and sighed deeply. "You should have seen the argument Fred and George had with Mum when she said they couldn't join. I've never seen them so angry in my life. I thought Mum was going to kill Dumbledore when he agreed to let them join."

At that, Harry jumped to his feet. "What?" he yelled, his voice shaking with anger. "But Fred and George are still in school! How come they're allowed to join the Order?"

Ron just shook his head. Hermione, however, had an answer. "Well, they're both seventeen, so they're legally of age. They told Mrs. Weasley that if being out of school was a requirement to join the Order, then they'd drop out and just start working on their joke shop. Dumbledore said he didn't want them leaving school early, and then he inducted them into the Order that night. He had to take Mrs. Weasley aside and have a talk with her." At that point, Hermione paused to chuckle. "She refused to talk to him for nearly a week after that. Every time he came into the same room she was in, she would storm out. Ron posted himself outside of the kitchen and made sure Dumbledore never went in there while Mrs. Weasley was cooking a meal."

Harry burst out into loud gales of laughter at that, his anger gone for the moment, while Ron merely shrugged. "What?" the red-head said. "The last thing we needed was for Mum to stop cooking for us. If we have to deal with You-Know-Who, we need to be properly fed." Harry's laughter redoubled at Ron's serious tone, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh along with him.

After several minutes of gut-wrenching laughter, Harry finally calmed down to enough to begin to breathe again. Rubbing his now slightly sore stomach, he took a deep breath and looked at his still amused friends. "And where is Dumbledore now?"

Before Ron could say anything, Hermione spoke up. "Why, Harry? You're not going to try to get into the Order, are you?"

Harry eyebrows raised in disbelief at her question. "Of course I am, Hermione," he replied. "I can't just sit around and do nothing. I saw Voldemort come back; my blood was used to resurrect him. I have to do something." At the mention of the dark lord's name, the light mood that had pervaded the room at the earlier hilarity immediately disappeared. Serious expressions dominated everyone's face, and all three were suddenly very tense. "Now, where is Dumbledore?"

"I am here, Harry." At the sound of the new voice, all three teenagers turned towards the door. A tall wizard with long silver hair and a long silver beard was standing there. Albus Dumbledore's bright, twinkling blue eyes were focused on Harry and a small smile was making the corner of his mouth twitch upwards slightly. "And I would like for you to join the Order of the Phoenix."


	3. All Secrets Known

**All Secrets Known**

* * *

After such an unexpected proclamation, all Harry could do was stare at his Headmaster in shock, his mouth gaping open like a fish. He didn't need to look at his friend's faces to know that both Ron and Hermione were also staring at Dumbledore with similar expressions on their faces. The man in question, meanwhile, merely stood in the doorway, smiling indulgently at the three teenagers.

After several moments of inactivity, Harry was finally able to respond to Dumbledore's words. "What?" It was, perhaps, not the most eloquent response he could have come up with.

It was sufficient, however, to draw a both a chuckle and an elaboration from Dumbledore. "Well, Harry," the old man began, "in light of your past, along with your rather unique connection to Voldemort, I thought it prudent that you be in the know, so to speak. You would not, of course, be sent out on any assignments for the Order, but you would be permitted to attend the meetings."

Harry's eyes lit up as Dumbledore explained himself, and he turned slightly to look at his friends. Before he could ask the first question that came to his mind, however, Dumbledore cut him off with a raised hand. "Unfortunately, neither Mr. Weasley nor Ms. Granger can be permitted to join. I have decided to bend the rules for you due to your special circumstances, but I would need a very good explanation to justify to the other members why I was inducting three fifth years into the Order." He paused there, his twinkling blue eyes taking in the looks of disappointment on the faces of both Ron and Hermione. "Of course," he continued after a moment, "if you were to share some of the information you obtained at these meetings with your closest friends, I would have no control over that."

This immediately lifted the disappointed looks right off of their faces. Dumbledore smiled at them before taking on a more serious look and lowering his voice slightly. "If I may, I would entreat upon you to keep quiet about any information that Harry imparts to you, both for everyone's safety and for the fact that Molly would most likely attempt to skin me alive for allowing her youngest son to hear about the comings and goings of the Order." At that, all three teenagers broke out into laughter once again. Dumbledore humoured them for a minute before gesturing for Harry to follow him out of the room. "Come along, Harry. We have a meeting to get to." He turned and waited for Harry to follow him.

Before he followed the Headmaster, the dark-haired teen turned towards his friends and smiled at them. "I'll tell you everything as soon as the meeting's over. See you guys later." They both nodded and watched as Harry fell into step line behind the Headmaster and followed him out of the room.

Now that he was alone with the Headmaster, Harry took the opportunity to ask some questions that had been burning on his tongue since he had arrived at the mansion. "Sir?" Dumbledore didn't pause, but he did acknowledge the teenager with a slight nod. "What happened at Privet Drive? I mean, how did the Death Eaters get to me? I thought that they couldn't get me when I was at the Dursley's house."

Dumbledore let out a loud sigh before he responded. "Unfortunately, Voldemort was able to bring down the wards around Privet Drive. I have a theory on how he managed to do it, but I will be bringing it up at the meeting Harry." At that point, he did pause, causing Harry to do likewise. Turning to face the younger wizard, Dumbledore looked down at him with a very serious expression on his face. "Due to these new circumstances, you will not be returning to Privet Drive next year. It is my belief that Voldemort will not pursue your relatives further, so they should be safe. Privet Drive, however, is no longer a place of safety for you. I am currently attempting to find the best way to keep you safe next summer. With things as they are, it is highly likely you will end up returning here."

Harry was unsure of exactly how to feel after the Headmaster fell silent. On the one hand, he was extremely happy he no longer had to return to Privet Drive, but on the other hand, he no longer had that one place where he couldn't be touched by Voldemort. After a moment, of consideration, he nodded and the two started off again.

This time, it was Dumbledore who spoke up first. "Once you are inducted into the Order, Harry, you will be privy to all of the same information as every other member. While you are at school, it will be difficult for you to attend every meeting, so after every gathering, I will summon you to my office and fill you in on everything you missed. I hope that is acceptable."

The Headmaster turned and smiled cheekily at Harry, who couldn't help but laugh back, amused that the powerful wizard almost seemed to be seeking his approval. "Of course, sir," he replied. "It is much more than I hoped for. I was prepared to fight for my right to be kept informed, but you could have always just refused to let me in. Thank you for this."

Dumbledore nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I believe that it is necessary, Harry. You will have a major role to play in this war, and as such, you deserve to know as much as possible. That reminds me, after the meeting, I have some things to say that are meant for your ears alone. If you would please accompany me later, I will tell you all that I can."

Concerned by the very serious tone the older wizard had slipped into, Harry merely nodded and the two continued on in silence.

Dumbledore led Harry back the way he had originally came from, back to the door that Sirius had slipped into after they had encountered Ron and Hermione in the hallway. That door opened up into a large dining room, with an extremely long, narrow table and many chairs. The room, however, was completely bare of any other people. Without pause, Dumbledore continued right on through the room, to yet another door on the other side. This door led to a room that was comparable in size to the dining room they had just exited, with one major difference; it was not empty.

Standing in groups, talking and intermingling with each other, was a large group of men and women Harry assumed were the members of the Order of the Phoenix. As he and Dumbledore made their way through the room, Harry gaped around at all the people, many of whom he recognized immediately. The flaming red hair of the Weasley's was unmistakable, and Harry noticed that they all seemed to be grouped together. There was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, their graduated children Bill, Charlie, and Percy, and finally the twins, George and Fred. Along with them were the tall black wizard and the pink-haired witch who had been part of the group that had rescued him earlier in the day. To their left was another small grouping of people, this one consisting of Remus Lupin, Sirius, Hagrid, and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. As they passed by that group, Sirius smiled and winked at Harry, who grinned back in response.

Looking over the rest of the people littering the room, Harry spotted several more he recognized. A small man with a top hat that he identified as Dedalus Diggle was laughing at something that was said to him by unfamiliar dark-haired woman, while the scarred and twisted visage of Mad-eye Moody looked on disapprovingly.

Harry's eyes roved past them, and over to a corner that was occupied by just two people, only one of whom he knew by name. Professor Severus Snape was standing there, conversing quietly with the extremely large man that Harry had seen employing the killing curse during his rescue. Once again, the strange man was the only person present, besides Harry, who was clad in muggle clothing, rather than wizard robes. Almost as though he could feel Harry's gaze on him, the man turned to face him. Even though it wasn't particularly bright in the room, his eyes were obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses. He said nothing, merely nodding curtly towards Harry before turning back to resume his conversation with Snape.

By that time, everybody in the room had become aware of the presence of Dumbledore and Harry. By the looks that he was drawing, Harry guessed that not everyone had been informed that he would be joining the Order. The two came to halt on the far side of the room, and then turned to look out at the people, all of whom immediately fell silent. Their gazes switched back and forth from Dumbledore to Harry as they waited for the Headmaster to speak.

After a moment, the elderly wizard cleared his throat and began. "I have called you all here tonight for a rather special purpose," he said. "Harry Potter is to be inducted into the Order tonight." Immediately the people in the room began to shout uproariously.

Harry looked on with a mixture of amusement and anxiety as many of the people shouted their disapproval. Some of the members, however, seemed to support Harry. The pink-haired witch smiled and gave him a thumbs up, while Fred and George Weasley both started clapping loudly, with wide smiles on their faces. Their mother, however, was a different story altogether. She was frowning heavily at Dumbledore and seemed ready to bite his head off. It was clear to Harry that she had known it was coming, but was definitely not pleased.

Miraculously, Snape had refrained from saying a word. Harry had been certain that if anyone objected to him being in the Order, it would be the unpleasant man. The potions professor, however, merely scowled his usual scowl and remained tight-lipped.

The noisiness raged on for several moments, finally forcing Dumbledore to step in and put an end to it. With a sigh, he held up his wand and shot of several sparks. They came with a loud bang, which immediately silenced all of the yelling people and made them look towards Dumbledore and Harry. "As much as I appreciate your fervour, this is not a debate. Harry Potter has an integral part to play in this struggle against Voldemort, and it is his right to join the Order. He will not be sent on any assignments or nor be expected to fight directly against the Death Eaters, but he will be a member of the Order and will be given all of the same information that the rest of us are given."

This time, nobody said a word. It was clear by the tone Dumbledore used that he would take no arguments from anyone on this subject. After a moment of complete silence, Dumbledore smiled and turned to Harry. "Well now Harry. From this point on, you can consider yourself a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry smiled back at his Headmaster. "Thank you, sir," he said respectfully. Dumbledore nodded, and then gestured for Harry to join the Weasleys. The black-haired teen made his way over towards the familiar forms of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He was greeted with handshakes from Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the twins and a rib-shattering hug from Molly. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Dumbledore had resumed speaking, so she held her tongue.

"Now, as we all know," the old wizard said, "today Privet Drive was attacked by Death Eaters. Luckily, several Order members were able to get there and fight them off. I have told you all before that Harry was safe at Privet Drive, that the wards there would keep him safe from those who wished to do him harm. Unfortunately, I fear that I have underestimated Voldemort greatly." He paused there and took a deep breath, the usual twinkle conspicuously absent from his blue eyes. "It is my belief that Voldemort managed to break through the wards through the use of nothing but his own power." With that serious announcement, the room once again descended into chaos.

Through the shouts and exclamations of disbelief, one voice made itself heard. "That is impossible." At the extremely loud proclamation, everyone turned to the speaker, one Bill Weasley. Seeing that he had everyone's attention, he elaborated. "You told us that Privet Drive was protected by blood wards. In Egypt, I've seen some of the most effective wards ever created, and blood wards are easily the most powerful of all of them. The amount of power it would take to break such a ward is unbelievable." Several of the Order members nodded, believing that Bill had just shot down Dumbledore's theory. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"I know all of that, William," Dumbledore replied. "Unfortunately, it does not change what I've seen. After the fight, I went to Privet Drive to personally inspect the wards. They were completely annihilated. The amount of magic in the air could only have one explanation; Voldemort was able to overpower the wards on his own. I believe that we all know what this means."

Once again everybody began to talk; this time, however, it was in low whispers. Harry was not an experienced wizard, nor a genius, but he knew enough to know that for Voldemort to do what he supposedly did, he had to be even more powerful than the Order had been expecting. And that was definitely not a good thing.

"Now, I have reached out through some of my contacts to locate someone who may be able to design new wards that we can use to keep Harry out of Voldemort's reach. Of course, with this new demonstration of Voldemort's power, it is clear to me that he will probably be able to break any ward, given enough time. With that in mind, I have procured the services of a noted ward designer from North America. She will be arriving sometime later this summer and hopefully she will be able to come up with a ward that can keep Harry safe." He sighed deeply as he fell silent, letting everyone take a moment to soak in what they had learned.

When nobody said anything after several moments, Dumbledore spoke up again. "Is there anything else to report?" Several Order members stepped forward to give their information to the Headmaster but Harry tuned them out, choosing instead to focus on the information he had already. According to what had been said, Voldemort had been able to break through blood wards, supposedly the strongest of all wards, and now he had to rely on some unknown North American ward designer to hopefully come up with a ward that would thwart Voldemort, even though blood wards had failed to do that. It was definitely not a situation that he wanted to be in, that was for sure.

With a shake, Harry brought himself back to reality when he realized that people had started filing out of the room. He figured that Dumbledore had ended the meeting. Before he could do or say anything, he once again found himself caught in the crushing embrace of Molly Weasley. This time there was nothing stopping her from speaking her mind. "Oh Harry, we were so worried when we heard that the Death Eaters had attacked Privet Drive. Thank heavens you're safe. And look at you; you've grown so much since the last time I saw you." She pulled back, but kept her hands grasped tightly on his arms, smiling widely. "But you still shouldn't be in the Order. I don't know what Dumbledore is thinking—"

"Oh leave him alone Molly. He's old enough to make his own decisions." A widely smiling Sirius walked up to Harry and clapped him on the back. His grin was infectious and Harry couldn't help but mirror it.

Turning, Sirius gestured to the people who had remained in the room and were now gathered around them. "Let me introduce a few people Harry. This is Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said, pointing to the tall black wizard. The man nodded politely to Harry, who did likewise. Next, Sirius indicated the pink-haired witch who was grinning widely at Harry. "This is my cousin, Tonks." He paused, and then grinned widely. "Her name is actually Nymphadora but—"

He was cut off there when the witch in question pulled back her arm and landed a solid punch right in his gut. "How many times do I have to tell you; it's Tonks, just Tonks." She looked around at all the people who were watching. "The next one who calls me Nymphadora is going to get it a lot worse than then this mutt just got." Almost everyone broke out in laughter at the indignation in her voice, and the sight of Sirius, doubled over and grasping his stomach. Harry, however, could only stare in shock at Tonks, whose hair had gone from bubblegum pink to fire red during her little outburst. Noticing Harry's expression, she explained what was going on. "I'm a Metamorphmagus, Harry." At his blank expression, she elaborated. "It means I can change my appearance whenever I like. Watch." As he looked on, she scrunched up her face, as though she was thinking extremely hard about something, and after a bit, her spiky red hair turned blue and slowly began to lengthen, until it reached her shoulders.

"Wow!" That was all Harry could manage. His exclamation drew a peal of laughter from the now blue-haired witch.

"Yes," Sirius said, "my cousin is a regular little sideshow attraction, isn't she? Now, moving on." This time Sirius pointed to the man Harry was most eager to find out about; the strange dark magic using man from earlier. "This is Mark Connelly, a recent inductee into the Order of the Phoenix."

At the sound of his name, the man stepped forward. It was only when he was standing directly in front of him that Harry realized just how big he was. He was easily the largest man Harry had ever seen, excluding Hagrid. Mark extended his immense hand to Harry, who grasped it in his own after a moment's hesitation. "Greetings, Harry Potter. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," was Harry's response. He was surprised when the man had spoken with a North American accent obvious in his incredibly deep voice. _He must be an American,_ Harry thought. He took the opportunity to study Mark from up close. The man, besides being incredibly tall, also seemed to be rather well built, if the width of his shoulders and the strength of his handshake had been an indication. Since he was still wearing sunglasses, Harry was unable to see his eyes, but he could see the messy black hair that covered his head, not unlike his own hair. The muggle clothes he was dressed in actually looked like what a normal, non-magical person would wear; jeans, a white t-shirt and an unbuttoned black shirt. It was a pretty drastic change from the mismatched muggle garments most wizards seemed to don when they had to.

After a moment, Dumbledore cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Well, now that we all know each other, I have some things to discuss with young Harry here. Why don't you all go find something to occupy yourselves with? Arthur, if you wish to study my collection of cars more, I'm sure Mr. Connelly would be more than happy to assist you. He happens to know quite a bit about cars. Isn't that right, Mark?"

The dark-haired man nodded, his gaze still obviously fixed on Harry. "Of course, Albus." Without another word, he turned and walked off, closely followed by the excitedly chattering Arthur.

The rest slowly drifted off as well, heading back out towards the dining room. Mrs. Weasley hugged him once more before she left. "As soon as you two are done talking, why don't you come grab something to eat from the kitchen? It's just off of the dining room, through the doorway that's right beside the one that comes in here. I'll whip up something tasty for you."

Harry responded with a smile at her motherly tone. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I'm looking forward to it already." She beamed widely at him before turning and making her way out of the room. Sirius clapped him on the back and trailed after her, closely followed by Remus, who smiled at Harry and shook his hand on the way out.

The only people left at that point were Harry, Dumbledore, and the twins. They obviously had something to say to him and had purposely waited for everyone else to leave before saying anything.

"Harry," Fred started, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

"Our good friend, our benefactor," George quickly chimed in as well.

"We just wanted to take this opportunity to inform you about the progress of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, seeing as you single-handedly provided the capital necessary to get it off the ground." At Fred's words, Harry glanced nervously at Dumbledore, but he was merely grinning widely.

George noticed the direction of Harry's gaze and quickly explained. "Oh don't worry, Harry. He knows where we got the money from. We had to tell him; it was one of the conditions he gave us when he sold us the building in Diagon Alley that we're going to use as our very first actual store."

Harry's eyes widened at that, drawing a loud chuckle from the silver-haired wizard standing in front of him. "What can I say, Harry?" he said, "I've always been a fan of theirs and when I heard that they were searching for property in Diagon Alley, I decided that seeing where their jokes would take them was something that I was interested in being a part of. I was quite a prankster myself, back in my Hogwarts days." He smiled as he said that, obviously thinking back to those days.

Fred and George, meanwhile, had turned to leave. "We just wanted to let you know we're getting closer to having our joke shop up and running. This year, we'll be selling our products by mail-order from school, but next year we will be up and running from our very own store, and it's all thanks to you two. Now, we'll be going." With that, the twins exited the room, whistling merrily as they went.

Both Harry and Dumbledore watched them go with smiles on their faces, Both wizards were delighted to have contributed to something that made the two Weasley's so happy, and had the potential to bring much levity to a world that would no doubt need such a thing during the upcoming dark times.

Once the door closed behind the twins, Dumbledore face was overcome by a much more serious expression. Withdrawing his wand, he wordlessly conjured two large armchairs and gestured for Harry to sit in one of them. Once Harry had seated himself, Dumbledore did likewise. Settling himself in it, he peered at Harry over the edge of his half-moon glasses and steepled his fingers in front of his face. After a moment, Dumbledore finally broke the quiet. "I apologize for my silence Harry. I am merely trying to think of the easiest way to address what I have to say to you."

Harry remained silent, worry flooding him as he realized that Dumbledore's words would no doubt mean more trouble for him. "Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning." Harry nodded encouragingly as Dumbledore pressed on. "Not long before you were born, I was interviewing a candidate for the position of Divination Professor here at Hogwarts. I went to the Hogshead to meet this applicant, one Sybill Trelawney." At that, Harry's eyes widened in disbelief. Dumbledore noticed Harry's expression and chuckled humourlessly. "Indeed Harry. The woman is a complete fraud. It is my belief that she has only ever made two actual prophecies in her life. One was made the day Peter Pettigrew escaped and fled back to Voldemort. You remember that one, I am sure. The other was made on a cold night at the Hogshead and was witnessed by myself." He sighed heavily there, a look of sadness replacing the usual twinkle in his eyes. "This prophecy that she made pertained to Voldemort, and the fact that only one person could ever hope to defeat him. Here." Reaching into a pocket, Dumbledore withdrew a folded piece of parchment and handed it to the teenager.

With a feeling of dread, Harry opened it up and began to read.

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches._

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies._

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not._

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives._

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._

As soon as he was finished, Harry looked up at Dumbledore, eyes wide. "Does that mean that I have to be the one to kill Voldemort?"

Slowly, Dumbledore nodded, looking older than he ever had. "I'm afraid so, Harry. It is unfortunate, but it must be you. You fit the criteria perfectly." He paused there, as though he was pondering how to proceed. "Before Voldemort chose to kill your parents and attempt to kill you, there were actually two people who fit the description; born at the end of July to parents who had stood against Voldemort on three separate occasions. There was yourself and Neville Longbottom."

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that. The fact that he had been handed a fate that could have belonged to someone else made him very angry. Before he could say a word, however, Dumbledore started up again. "Unfortunately, Voldemort was only aware of half of the prophecy; he didn't know that he would have to mark someone as his equal, and that someone would have some kind of power he was not aware of. He chose to kill you, rather than Mr. Longbottom."

"But why?" Harry cut Dumbledore off with his loud query. "Why me? How could he possibly be able to tell which of us would pose the biggest threat to him? I mean, we were only babies."

The anger and confusion in Harry's voice drew another heavy sigh from Dumbledore, who now looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I have my theories about that. First, however, let me explain something to you." He paused again, and seemed to be searching for the words to explain. "First, you know that every wizard and witch has their own level of power. For example, I am more powerful than Alastor Moody, and Voldemort is more powerful than Professor Snape. We, as adults, long ago passed the point where are magical power stopped growing. Usually by the time a teenager is eighteen, their magic will have grown to the highest it will ever be. There are exceptions of course. Voldemort's power continued to grow until sometime after his twenty-second birthday. My own continued to grow till my twentieth birthday. What I'm trying to say is that you can never tell exactly how powerful a wizard will be until his power stops expanding entirely. There are ways, however, to determine if a child will become more powerful than average. There are spells to determine how much potential a child has, to give an idea of what he might someday be capable of."

Dumbledore fell silent, and shook his head slightly. Harry could imagine what was coming next.

"The first time I met Tom Riddle," the elderly wizard said, "he was only ten years old. He exhibited such a high level of instinctive control over his magic, unlike any child I had encountered before. I went to visit him in the orphanage that he lived in, and overcome by curiosity, I cast the spell that would determine how much potential he had." His laughed out loud at that point, shocking Harry. "Oh, imagine my shock when I saw how much potential young Tom had. He had the ability to be so great. I do not wish to sound conceited, but I had not seen such a thing since my own childhood. I've been told that when they used the same spell on me, I too showed a lot of promise." He smiled at that, obviously thinking back to better times.

Harry remained quiet; he was fascinated by the emotions playing over the Headmaster's face. Suddenly, the old wizard shook his head and pressed on. "But I digress. My point is that children who show as much potential as myself and Tom Riddle are very rare. In the last two centuries, there have only been four. During my youth, another child was born who showed as much promise as I did; Gellert Grindelwald." Harry started at that name, and Dumbledore smiled slightly at his reaction. "Yes, I thought you might recognize that name. Once upon a time, he and I were great friends. Unfortunately, as we aged, we went down different paths. I'm afraid that our friendship came to a complete end the day I killed him. Anyway, as I said, there have been four wizards to show an unbelievable amount of potential during the last two centuries; Voldemort, myself, Gellert, and you."

Eyes wide, mouth gaping, Harry could do nothing but stare at Dumbledore in shock. _I have potential? I could be as powerful as Voldemort or Dumbledore? There must be some mistake!_

Before he could voice his doubts, however, Dumbledore chuckled and spoke again. "I am not wrong about this Harry. I have cast the spell, as has Voldemort. You have the potential to be extremely powerful one day. That is why Voldemort chose you over Neville. You pose the biggest threat to him, and that is why he chose to kill you instead of young Mr. Longbottom, before you could mature and grow into your power. If I'm not mistaken, your recent growth spurt is most likely a direct result of your growing power. Do not ask me what physical size has to do with magical power, for I do not know. But I myself went through a similar growth spurt during my teenage years, as did Tom Riddle and Gellert Grindelwald." He paused, the twinkle still missing from his eyes. "Like it or not, Voldemort chose you and now you are the one who has to defeat him. No one else can do it."

It was Harry's turn to sigh at that point. This was a hell of a lot of stuff to lay on a kid who wasn't even fifteen years old yet. He now knew what his future held; kill or be killed. And even if he could one day be as powerful as Dumbledore, Voldemort was already that strong. He definitely had a little catching up to do.

For several moments, Dumbledore watched silently as Harry went over everything he had just learned. Finally, however, he broke the silence. "For the remainder of the summer, and during the school year, I will be having several highly qualified Order members train you in every way they can. It will take years for you to be powerful enough to face Voldemort head on, but I will do my best to ensure that you are as prepared as you can be. I myself will even be training you when time permits it. You will need knowledge in a variety of subjects, the likes of which no student has ever been taught before."

His tone of voice made Harry think about what he had witnessed earlier that day."Do you mean the Dark Arts then, sir?"

With a sigh, Dumbledore nodded. Reaching up, he removed his glasses and rubbed his hand over his eyes wearily. "Yes Harry. As much as I loathe the Dark Arts, they may be necessary if you are to defeat Voldemort."

"Is that why Mr. Connelly is here then?" At Dumbledore's questioning glance, Harry elaborated. "Today, when he was fighting the Death Eaters, I saw him use Avada Kedavra and some other Dark curse. I thought he might be the one to teach me about the Dark Arts."

"No Harry, Mr. Connelly will not be teaching you the Dark Arts. He has a different purpose here. I'm sure you will be seeing him a lot in the coming months, but not as a trainer. Now," he said, leaning forward slightly in his chair, an intense look on his face, "you must remember to watch out for yourself at all times. As much as it pains me to say it, Voldemort could very well have agents among the students at Hogwarts."

"Malfoy," stated Harry immediately, while nodding his head in agreement.

Dumbledore, however, frowned slightly and shook his head. "You must remember Harry, that you cannot always judge someone merely by what house they are a member of. Remember, Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and he turned out to be as bad as they come. Why, I myself was in Slytherin."

That was pretty much the last thing that Harry expected. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day. The customary twinkle returned to Dumbledore's eyes as he laughed loudly at the expression on Harry's face. "It is widely believed that I was a Gryffindor," the old man said, "but there aren't too many people who are still alive that remember that I was actually a proud member of the House of Slytherin. Remember, Harry, that Slytherins are famous for doing what it takes to get what they want, and for going on to do great things. As conceited as it may sound, I have done great things in my life. Remember this conversation the next time you are tempted to judge someone based solely on which house they belong to." Harry nodded silently, still shocked by Dumbledore's announcement.

Chuckling, the older wizard rose to his feet and motioned for Harry to do the same. Reaching out, Dumbledore clasped the teenager's shoulders tightly and looked directly into his eyes. "I want you to think over what you've learned here today. You are free to tell your friends what you wish to. In the coming days, friendship will be something that will help us through the darkness. Keep them close to you, Harry, and you will do well, I think. Now, why don't you run along and see Mrs. Weasley. Take the time to enjoy the comforts in life Harry, because they are what will give you the will to fight on. All right?" He smiled at Harry, who returned it after a moment's hesitation.

Turning, he made for the door, pausing just before he exited the room. Turning slightly, he nodded to Dumbledore. "Thank you for telling me everything, sir. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

In returned, Dumbledore merely smiled knowingly. "I just may, Harry, I just may." With a parting smile, Harry turned his back and left the room.


	4. Just Killing Time

**Just Killing Time**

* * *

Through the door Harry went, back out into the dining room, which was still devoid of any inhabitants. This time, however, Harry turned right and went towards a door he hadn't noticed the first time through. He could hear various noises coming through from the other side and assumed that it would lead him to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley had said she would be.

Slowly, he reached for the knob and turned it. He opened the door just a crack before cautiously sticking his head through it so he could see the interior of the room. Immediately, he was greeted by a multitude of delicious smells that could only mean one thing; Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner. As he cautiously stepped into what was easily the largest and most elaborate kitchen he had ever seen, he took the time to study the unbelievable variety of foods that were cooking, boiling, baking, and steaming in their respective pots, pans, bowls, and dishes.

Being somewhat preoccupied by the veritable feast she was in the midst of preparing, it took Mrs. Weasley several moments before she realized that she was no longer alone. With a huge smile on her face, she bustled over to Harry, holding a large platter of sandwiches with both hands. "Here you are, Harry dear," she said, "some roast beef sandwiches to tide you over until dinner. They're leftover from last night, I'm afraid." She seemed to be actually upset that she wasn't able to offer him anything that was freshly prepared, he noted.

Smiling reassuringly, he took the platter from her hands. "This is more than fine, Mrs. Weasley. Your food is always delicious, no matter when it was prepared." Mollified by his words, she smiled widely and quickly hustled over to what appeared to be a muggle refrigerator. Reaching inside, she withdrew a pitcher of juice and motioned for Harry to go back out into the dining room. She followed him out and quickly got him seated at the immense table. After setting the juice on the table, beside the platter of sandwiches, and conjuring a glass for him to drink from, she patted Harry on his shoulder and turned to go back to the kitchen.

Before she could leave the room, however, Harry spoke up. "Mrs. Weasley?" She turned back to him with a questioning look on her face. "Do you need any help? In the kitchen, I mean?" He felt slightly guilty, seeing her slaving away in the sweltering kitchen, without anyone around to give her a hand.

Mrs. Weasley, however, merely smiled gently and shook her head. "No, no dear. You just eat up and then go find Ron and Hermione. I'm sure you must have missed them during your stay at Privet Drive. You go on and have some fun." Once he nodded in agreement, she turned and made her way back into the kitchen, closing the door softly behind her.

Harry stared at the closed door for a moment, before shaking his head slightly and turning back to face the sandwiches that lay in front of him. Suddenly, now that the food was right in front of him, Harry realized just how hungry he was. Lifting the first sandwich, he tore into it with gusto. After the first bite, he could have sworn he'd never had anything quite as delicious as this simple sandwich he was now eating. After over a month of living off whatever scraps the Dursleys fed him, he had almost forgotten what it was like to eat real food.

In a matter of minutes, Harry completely emptied the platter of sandwiches. He finished off his meal by draining the last drop of juice from the pitcher. Leaning back in his chair, he patted his stomach and sighed contentedly. Now, however, he was faced with the question of what to do next. His earlier promise to report what he had learned from the Order to his friends came to mind, and he decided to go ahead with that.

Exiting the dining room, Harry started off on the route back to the bedrooms, where he assumed he would find his friends. When he arrived in the hallway that the bedrooms were in, however, the only things that greeted him were closed doors. The only open door was the one that led to his room, and it was completely empty. Tentatively, he reached out and knocked on Ron's door. When no one answered, he turned and knocked on Hermione's as well, to no avail.

_Where could they have gotten off to?_ Sighing, he decided to take the opportunity to explore some more of the house, since his friends were obviously off doing their own thing. He debated for a moment on whether to go further down the hallway or go back the way he came. He quickly opted to go back downstairs; for all he knew, the rest of the rooms in the hallway were bedrooms, and he didn't want to disturb anyone who might not want to be disturbed.

Back downstairs he went, this time taking the time to investigate the grand room at the bottom of the staircase. Almost immediately, Harry noticed that there was another door, located several feet to the right of the stairs. It was the same colour as the wall, and almost seemed to be hiding. Cautiously, he reached for the ornate doorknob and gave it a slight twist. When it turned, Harry realized that it wasn't locked and took that as a sign that he was permitted to see what was on the other side. To his disappointment, it only opened up into yet another long, empty corridor.

Curious to see where this newly uncovered hall led to, Harry pressed on. It didn't take him long to notice the difference between his current surroundings and the rest of the house. This hallway was rather dark, with only several dim lights to illuminate the entire space. It was rather foreboding, Harry had to admit. Since it was Dumbledore's house, however, and Harry trusted the powerful wizard implicitly, he continued on.

A moment later, Harry was forced to come to a stop when the hallway came to an abrupt end. Turning to his right, he scanned the wall for a moment before realizing that he was looking at another well-hidden door. He could just barely make out the outline on the wall in the unmistakable shape of a doorway. Upon first glance, the doorknob appeared to be nothing more than an old-fashioned torch holder. Since the hallway was apparently lit by magical lights, this struck Harry as odd. Reaching out, he twisted it experimentally and grinned widely when it turned and a section of wall silently slid open.

Stepping though the doorway, Harry paused to investigate the door. He was curious as to exactly how it worked, as it appeared to be sliding into the solid wall. Standing in the doorway, looking directly at the moving slab, however, he realized that the section that moved was actually slightly thinner than the rest of the wall, and that the section of wall beside the door was hollow. The door fit easily inside the hollow wall, no doubt under a silencing spell to take care of the harsh sound that would normally be heard as brick scraped against brick.

Shaking his head in amazement at the ingenious sliding door, Harry stepped fully though the doorway and paused to study the room that he had entered. The door slid noiselessly shut behind him, but he was too busy gaping wordlessly at what lay before him to care even slightly about the contraption that had held him fascinated only seconds earlier.

Arrayed before him was row upon row of fancy, expensive-looking cars. They were all glinting brightly in the sunlight that shined in through the multitude of large windows lining the walls. Harry had never seen so many cars in one place before. It was glaringly obvious that the garage had been magically expanded in order to hold this many vehicles.

Mouth open, Harry started forward, studying the cars as he passed them by. He had no idea why Dumbledore would have such a large collection of vehicles, especially considering the fact that he'd never seen or heard the old wizard speaking about driving or even being aware of such things as automobiles. Earlier, when Dumbledore had mentioned his collection, Harry had envisioned two, maybe three rather ordinary cars, like the old Ford the Weasley's used to own. Now he saw the truth, however, and it was shocking, to say the least.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Harry came to a halt beside a small, sporty-looking silver car. Harry didn't know very much about different vehicles, but he had enough sense to know that this shiny little machine was probably worth more than all of the cars his Uncle Vernon had ever owned, combined.

"Rather impressive, isn't it?" The sudden question startled Harry out of his musings. His head shot up and he began to look around, trying to find who had spoke. He quickly spotted the tall form of Mark Connelly, leaning against one of the larger cars, several rows over.

"Yes," Harry replied conversationally, taking another long look at the silver car. Something about the vehicle seemed to call to him. He instinctively knew that it would be exhilarating to drive it, to see just how fast it could go. He had never driven a car before, but he assumed that it would be somewhat similar to flying a broom. He remembered riding in the back of Vernon's car, but he had no doubt that the machine in front of him would easily put Vernon's to shame.

Mark remained silent as Harry continued to peruse the car, and eventually the young wizard turned and made his way over to where the big man was standing. As he walked over, Harry suddenly remembered that Mr. Weasley had been coming out to look at the cars after the meeting as well. He looked around, but he couldn't spot the familiar Weasley red hair anywhere.

Mark, meanwhile, noticed Harry's wandering gaze and spoke up. "Arthur left not long ago. He wanted to speak with Kingsley about something for work." He straightened up and stepped away from the car he had been leaning on, then turned to face Harry. "So I suppose you just came from your conversation with Albus then?" Harry nodded. "Learn anything interesting?"

The tone of his voice left no doubt in Harry's mind that the big man knew at least part of what Dumbledore had told him. "How much do you know, Mr. Connelly?"

Mark shrugged slightly at Harry's rather demanding question, though his facial expression did not change. "It's Mark," he replied, "and I know enough to know that you must really dislike your divination teacher right about now."

"So you know about the prophecy then?" Mark nodded. "Did Dumbledore tell the entire Order?" Harry was feeling very put out with Dumbledore at that point.

Mark, however, shook his head in a negative manner. "No. Actually, he has yet to tell anyone else about it; he wanted to tell you first. Now that you know, however, those that will be training you will be told. Albus feels that it's best if they know why they're giving you so much personal training. Kingsley, Nymphadora, Remus, Alastor, and William will all be informed."

"William?" he inquired.

"Yes," Mark replied, "William; the eldest Weasley sibling."

At that, Harry's eyes widened. "Bill's gonna be training me?"

Mark nodded. "Yes. Albus figures that you should be able to recognize and possibly break curses. He thinks that it may come in handy someday."

That made sense to Harry. Given his task, it would definitely be a good thing to develop as many skills as he possibly could. The two stood in silence after that, both staring at each other. Mark seemed to be studying Harry as though he was an animal in a cage. It was hard to tell, what with the dark sunglasses covering his eyes, but Harry was sure that the man's gaze never wavered from his own face for several moments.

Finally, after several moments of complete inactivity, Mark spoke suddenly. "Are you going to ask about it?"

"Ask about what?" Harry was genuinely confused. The question just seemed so random, and he had no clue what had prompted it.

"Are you really so disinterested in seeing an Order member using the Dark Arts that you would forget about it so quickly?"

At that, Harry's eyes widened yet again. _Of course,_ he thought, _how could I have forgotten?_

Before he could say anything, however, Mark spoke up again. "I think that after hearing about the prophecy, and what you must do, that my own actions may make a little more sense. Every Death Eater that our side kills is one less that can kill one of us later," he stated, his voice serious and his eyes never leaving Harry's face. "Albus and his Order may think that taking prisoners is for the best, but they are wrong."

Despite his own personal feelings concerning death and the taking of another person's life, Harry could see the logic behind Mark's words. The fact that he could so clearly understand said logic actually disturbed him slightly. There he was, not even fifteen years old, having a conversation about killing people before they could kill him. It was completely insane.

"How long?" Mark's seemingly random question jolted Harry out of his musings. "How long until Voldemort turns his attention to Azkaban?" the big man elaborated, his deep voice remaining completely even. "How long until he liberates his most devoted followers? When he comes for them, the prison will fall and the Dementors will join him; there is no question that it will happen, sooner or later. How long until he convinces the vampires, werewolves and the giants to join his cause? Albus has nothing to offer them," Mark stated, "and he can't frighten them into joining us. Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard, and he has good intentions, but he cannot stop what is coming. You are the one who must end this, and you will be given all of the training that you can handle. But it will take time, time that no one here has. Voldemort is not an idiot; he will focus all of his resources on killing you, before your power starts to really develop. That is the only reason Azkaban hasn't been hit yet; he's been preoccupied with you."

All throughout Mark's speech, even though the man did not raise his voice one bit, Harry was listening attentively. He knew the large man was right; there could be no doubt, considering the contents of the prophecy, that in the end, it would come down to him and Voldemort. As loathe as Harry might be to kill anybody, he knew Voldemort needed to be stopped, for the safety of everyone. As he let the words sink into him, Harry felt a fierce sense of determination and drive well up inside of him. He would train like never before and he would push himself to his limit and beyond. When it came time to put an end to everything once and for all, he would be ready.

Mark, meanwhile, was silently watching Harry's face, and he nodded as he saw the fierce determination flare to life in Harry's green eyes. The two locked gazes and a sense of understanding passed between them. Both of them knew that even though Harry was still a boy, not even fifteen years old, he would have to become a man very quickly, and in that moment, both knew that he would.

The moment was broken a second later when somebody's loud laughter suddenly filtered in from outside. Mark gestured towards the front of the garage, where the door to the outside was located, and Harry nodded. Together, the two made their way past the rows of cars to the front door. Harry opened it up and led his large companion out into the sunlight.

For a moment, Harry thought that maybe he had imagined the laughter. He looked around, but all he could see was the sweeping green lawn and the bright blue expanse of sky directly above him. There was nobody around to laugh, or make any noise for that matter.

Suddenly, the same laughter rang out from above Harry and he looked up just in time to see two people on brooms go speeding by, taking essentially identical paths. It was clear the two were playing some kind of game, where one was in pursuit of the other. The one in the lead, a man with short red hair, Harry immediately recognized as Charlie Weasley. As Harry watched him fly, he was reminded of the fact that Charlie had once been the seeker for the Gryffindor house quidditch team. Seeing how he seemed to effortlessly cut through the air, it was easy for Harry to understand how the second eldest Weasley brother had once excelled at playing the difficult position.

Despite his formidable flying skill, Charlie was only just managing to stay ahead of his pursuer. The long red hair and rather petite form gave the second flier away as Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley sibling and only girl out of the bunch. It had been her laughter that had caught the attention of Harry and Mark, as she followed the twisting path her brother was taking through the air.

As Harry and Mark looked on from the ground, the two airborne Weasleys pressed on with their game. They continued to twist and turn through the air, until Charlie finally spotted the two observers and spiralled down to meet them. Ginny spotted them as well a second later and followed her brother down to the ground. They both landed and dismounted their brooms a couple of yards away from where Harry and Mark were standing, before picking up their brooms and walking over to them.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said cheerfully as the two Weasley's drew closer. He smiled back at her and nodded to Charlie, who had a broad smile on his face as well.

"Hey Harry," Charlie said loudly, extending his hand for the teenager to shake. "Mark," he said a moment later, nodding respectfully to the big man. Mark returned the greeting with a nod of his own.

"You guys looked like you were having fun up there," Harry commented, gesturing up towards the sky with a smile on his face. Ginny let out a small laugh and nodded, and Charlie's grin widened even further.

"Oh yeah, I love flying through the air like that. You should give it a go with us sometime; ever since I saw you fly against the Horntail, I've wanted to see just how good you really are."

Harry grinned widely at that. "Since we're going to be here for the rest of the summer, I think we'll probably be able to fit a few games in somewhere." Harry paused for a moment, and then looked towards the brooms the two Weasley's were holding. "Are you guys done for now then?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ginny replied. "I think I'm going to head out back and see what Ron and Hermione are doing."

Harry perked up at that. "Ron and Hermione are at the back of the house?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "We saw them out there when we were flying. They probably think the meeting is still going. Shall we go see them then?" Harry nodded and the four started off around the side of the garage, heading towards the back of the house.

As they walked along, Harry took the opportunity to ask the others some questions he had. "So you'll be working at Hogwarts this year then, Charlie?"

The red-head nodded and grinned. "Yeah, Dumbledore hired me on to help out Hagrid. Well," his grinned turned into a smirk, "that's the official story. Of course the Order is the real reason but that's not something everybody needs to know."

Harry nodded. "Yes, I can imagine. How is the public taking the news that Voldemort has returned?" At that, both Weasley's exchanged a nervous glance. The short look did not escape Harry's notice. "What?"

"Well," Charlie said, "the Ministry decided it was in the best interest of the public that such information not be released until it could be confirmed."

He fell silent as Harry came to a sudden stop and an enraged expression appeared on his face. "What? How can they do that?" he shouted, eyes wide and blazing. "The public needs to know to be on the lookout, to be ready to defend themselves at any time." He paused to take a breath and looked to be ready to continue on with his angry rant.

Before he could launch himself off again, however, Mark's deep voice interrupted him. "The Ministry is full of fools. None of them want to face the fact that Voldemort has returned. They will do everything they can to ignore this and hope it goes away. Eventually, Voldemort will act and everything will come crashing down on them, but for now it does not matter."

He sounded so confident that Harry found his anger being replaced by curiosity. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"

"Voldemort is completely focused on you," Mark replied. "Until you are dead, he is not going to care about the killing and terror-spreading that he did before. Many of his followers enjoy comfortable jobs within the Ministry, and they will not want to put their easy lives at risk until Voldemort makes himself known once again. The public is relatively safe at this stage, and they will remain that way until you die or Voldemort decides to move on and try something new."

Harry considered this, and after a moment, nodded his head. "I guess you're right," he allowed, "but it's still mental. The Ministry should be taking steps to prepare for the war that is coming."

Both Weasleys and Mark exchanged glances at that point. Once again, Harry was left wondering what they were thinking about. Charlie noticed his expression and quickly spoke up. "A lot of the higher-ups in the Ministry really don't want word to get out," he explained, "so they've been trying to discredit Dumbledore. Luckily, Dumbledore hasn't really been pressing the issue, since he believes the public is still fairly safe at this point. They don't really have much dirt on him, so it hasn't been too bad. There've been a few nasty articles in the Prophet, but they've mostly been ignored by everybody." He paused there and shook his head, a dark look on his face. "The Ministry tried very hard to get somebody inside Hogwarts, to keep an eye on Dumbledore."

That was almost impossible for Harry to fathom. For the Ministry of Magic to try and infiltrate Hogwarts, for such an idiotic purpose, was beyond what he had thought them capable of.

Harry's shock must have shown on his face at that point, because Charlie laughed humourlessly and nodded. "Oh yes, they tried very hard indeed. Fudge got a law enacted stating that the Ministry has the power to appoint Hogwarts professors if Dumbledore can't find someone willing to take the job. They almost had one of Fudge's toadies into the Defence post, but Dumbledore managed to find someone willing to take the job at the last moment. You can imagine the Ministry's surprise when he told them he had found someone, especially considering that there were rumours going around that the Ministry had been sending operatives around to chat with any qualified people." He shook his head again, but this time a true grin was evident on his face. "He won't tell us who he hired, but knowing Dumbledore, whoever it is will be great."

"I hope so," Harry said fervently. "With Voldemort back, we are going to need to learn as much about Defence as we possibly can." The other three all nodded their agreement and started off for the back yard again.

Since the house and garage were so expansive, there was quite a long distance to walk just to reach the back lawn. As they went along, Harry's face remained set in a disturbed expression. It was clear to the others that his mind was still on the revelations about the recent actions of the Ministry.

Ginny decided to try to turn his mind to other things. "So Harry..." He turned his head look at her as she searched for something to say. "Are you looking forward to playing quidditch again this year?" she settled on finally. He grinned and nodded vigorously in response, and she silently congratulated herself for taking his mind off of the Ministry and his other troubles.

"Yeah," he said, "I can't wait to play again. It was hard last year, not having quidditch matches to look forward to. And it should be a great team this year as well; all we'll need is a new keeper. I expect Angelina will be the new captain; she's been on the team the longest and she's a great player."

Ginny nodded. "I was thinking about trying out this year as well. I thought maybe I could get a position as a reserve chaser."

Harry grinned at that, and Charlie patted his sister's shoulder in a supportive manner. "That's a great idea, Ginny," the dark-haired teenager said. "Next year Angelina will be gone, so you could probably get on the team in a starting position then."

She smiled at his encouraging words. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Do you have any idea who could be Gryffindor's new keeper?"

Harry shook his head, and opened his mouth to speak, but the expression on Charlie's face made him pause. "What?" he asked.

The elder Weasley looked a little apprehensive, but after a moment of silence, he responded. "You can't tell him that I told you," he said, "but Ron's been talking about trying out for the keeper position. He still isn't sure if he's gonna do it, so he doesn't want anybody else to know. Just don't mention it and I'm sure he'll eventually work up the nerve to try out."

Harry couldn't keep the smile off of his face when he heard that. "That's great!" he said. "I've seen him play a lot and he's pretty good." Harry fell silent at that moment, as they finally reached the back yard. He paused for a moment to take in all that he could see, which included several gardens full of exotic flowers and plants, some obviously magical and others clearly muggle in nature. One thing that struck him as odd was that the brick wall that surrounded three sides of the property was absent from this side. After the gardens ended, there was nothing but a small hut about fifty meters away, and then it was flat ground as far as the eye could see. A large mountain rose high into the sky some distance away, but that was it.

As he looked around in wide-eyed wonder, Charlie and Ginny couldn't help but to laugh at his expression. "It sure is something to behold, isn't it?"

Charlie's voice broke through Harry's wonder and he turned his head to look at the red-head. "Yes, it's amazing. But why is it so bare after the gardens and that little hut? I mean, with a lawn this size, he could have a quidditch pitch or a swimming pool, or both."

Charlie laughed out loud at that, but said nothing. Confused, Harry turned to Ginny, only to see that she too was laughing heartily. It was only when he turned to Mark that he finally got a response. "The lawn is not really that big." When Harry's confused expression did not disappear, Mark elaborated. "We are currently located on a cliff. The ground drops off a few feet beyond that hut, and it's about a four hundred foot drop to the lake down below. I know it looks like the lawn stretches on for a considerable distance, but it really doesn't."

Understanding quickly set in on Harry's face, and he nodded his thanks to Mark before turning to look at what he now knew was the cliff's edge. Now that he thought about it, it sure made a lot of sense. For a house surrounded by a forest of trees, it would not have made much sense for there to be absolutely no trees in the area behind it.

At that moment, a shout drew the attention of the four and Harry turned to see Ron and Hermione waving to him from their position near one of the gardens. They were standing in the shade of some kind of large, leafy plant, one that Harry had never seen before. As the four of newcomers walked over to join them, Harry noticed that Ron was holding a broom, and Hermione had a thick book in her hands. He shook his head and smiled. _I guess some things never change,_ he thought.

Once they were close enough, Ron spoke up. "Charlie, Bill was just out here looking for you. He said he needs your help with something. He didn't say what though."

With a sigh, Charlie nodded and turned to face the others. "Well, I'd better go find out what he wants, or I'll never hear the end of it later. See you all at dinner." With a final wave, he turned and made his way over to the back of the house. Up he went, onto the rather expansive-looking wooden deck that ran along most of the back wall. There was a set of glass doors that led into the house, and it was through these doors that Charlie went.

Once he disappeared inside the house, the remaining five people exchanged greetings, and then question period started. "So, how was the meeting, Harry?" Ron inquired. "Did you learn anything important?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should say anything with Ginny present. While Dumbledore had said it was all right if he shared information with his friends, he wasn't sure Ginny fell into that category. After a moment, however, he decided nothing he'd learned at the meeting was really that much of a secret, so it should be fine to tell everyone. Clearing his throat, he began. "Well, a lot of the Order members really didn't agree with me being there, but Dumbledore had made up his mind so..." He shrugged, not sure what else to say about that. "The arguments stopped pretty quickly once Dumbledore made it clear that my induction was not up for debate."

Hermione interrupted him at that point, though she directed her question towards Mark. "How much support does Harry have within the Order? Is he going to have to worry about any of the members giving him any trouble over this?"

Harry was slightly surprised at the way that Hermione, who was normally very respectful towards any adults, addressed Mark, as though he was just another teenager. Her manner, however, didn't seem to bother the big man at all. "No," he replied. "A few people will undoubtedly raise their objections again at the next meeting, but they are all very loyal to Albus and will abide by his orders. Harry has a tremendous amount of backers within the Order; they will make sure that nobody gives him any real trouble."

Hermione nodded, a satisfied expression on her face. "Good. Now, what else was talked about?" she inquired, as Ron and Ginny looked on with curiosity shining in their eyes.

Harry let out a sigh. "Well," he began, "Dumbledore told the Order what he had discovered about how the Death Eaters were able to get to me at Privet Drive." He fell silent, thinking about the exchange he'd witnessed during the meeting. After a moment of inactivity, the others shared a look and then Hermione cleared her throat loudly. Startled out of his thoughts, Harry shook himself lightly before continuing on. "Dumbledore said that he thinks Voldemort was able to overpower the wards around Privet Drive." That simple statement had a profound effect on at least two of the others; Hermione and Ginny both gasped in shock and went white. Mark, of course, had been present at the meeting, so he had no visible reaction.

Ron was the only person there who didn't fully understand the magnitude of what Voldemort had allegedly did. He quickly gave voice to his confusion. "So what if he broke through the wards? Can't Dumbledore just put in better ones, ones that You-Know-Who can't break?"

Harry merely shook his head, as Hermione and Ginny shared a worried look. When Ron continued to look on with a confused expression on his face, Mark started filling him in on the issue. "The wards around Privet Drive were blood wards," he said to the red-head. "They were some of the most powerful wards in the world. To break through wards like that would take an incredible amount of power, more power than anyone thought Voldemort had. There are no better wards. If Voldemort can break through those, which is what he apparently did, he can break through any wards."

Harry spoke up again at that point. "Yeah, Bill said the same thing. He couldn't believe that Voldemort had managed to break through blood wards. Dumbledore said that he got in contact with a ward designer from North America and she'll be coming here sometime this summer to try and come up with a new ward to keep me safe." He fell silent and let the others take in what he had just told them. It certainly was quite a bit to digest.

After a moment, Ron spoke up. "What are you going to do if they can't find another one strong enough to protect you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders at that. "I think I'll just end up staying here again next summer. That's what Dumbledore said anyways." He paused there and grinned slightly, although the humour in it was muted at best. "At least I won't have to go back to the Dursley's next year." None of the others smiled however, and everybody remained silent for several moments.

As the silence stretched on, Harry contemplated whether or not he should inform the others about what else Dumbledore had told him. It didn't take him long to decide that the prophecy was going to remain secret for now. That was a personal matter, between him and Voldemort, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better. The last thing he wanted was for the news to get out that he was fated to either kill Voldemort of die trying.

Instead, Harry decided to broach a more positive subject. "Dumbledore also told me that I'll be getting special training from now on, just in case Voldemort attacks." He tacked on that last bit, not wanting to let out any hint of why he was really training. "Dumbledore wants me to learn as much as I can, so he's getting a bunch of people to help teach me a variety of subjects."

At that point, Harry paused to see how everyone was reacting to what he had just told them. Hermione looked jealous at the fact that Harry would be learning so many new things, while Ron merely looked excited for his friend. Ginny's expression was perhaps the most intriguing; she seemed to be torn between excitement, like her brother, and what looked like worry.

Before he could say anything to her, however, Mark's deep voice cut through the silence. "You all will be receiving training along with Harry." Everyone turned to look at him in surprise at that. "Albus feels that it would be wise for you all to be able to defend yourselves to the best of your ability, seeing as you are all close to Harry." Ginny opened her mouth and appeared to be about to say something then, but Mark pressed on. "Voldemort is well aware of Harry's closeness to you two, and his bond with the entire Weasley family, so Albus merely wishes for any potential targets to be able to competently fight off an attack." Ginny's mouth closed once Mark fell silent, her comment rendered unnecessary by his words.

Hermione looked to be almost jumping out of her skin when Harry turned to look at her and Ron. He smiled widely, a gesture which was returned by both of them. "This is going to be great!" she gushed, so excited by the prospect of the extra learning she would be doing. Ron, a grin on his face, rolled his eyes at her reaction, even though he too was happy that he was going to get to be involved.

"Will you be involved in the training, Mark?" Ginny's question drew the attention of the other three and they all paused to hear the big man's answer.

"I won't be training any of you," he said, "but I will most likely be around to observe many of the training sessions. As you know, I'm not from around here, and I'm quite curious as to the training methods that will be employed." He fell silent then, and looked down at his wrist. It was only when he shifted the sleeve of his shirt that Harry realized he was looking at his wristwatch. Whatever time it was must have meant something to him, because he quickly looked up and motioned towards the door. "I believe we should be heading inside now. Unless I'm quite mistaken, dinner will be served anytime now." The other four all nodded and the group slowly began to make its way over towards the door.

As they walked, Harry was overwhelmed by the sudden feeling that he was home. Even though he had just met Mark, and he had never truly hung around with Ginny before, and the house he was about to enter was one that he had never seen or been inside before today, he couldn't help but feel like he was in a place that he belonged, a place where he could be content. All thoughts of Voldemort and the Ministry and all his other troubles were pushed from his mind, and Harry was finally happy, if only for the moment.


End file.
